The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches Rev. 1:20 NIV. Christ is standing in the midst of the candlesticks Rev. 1:13.
The meaning of the seven-branched lamp stand: The ancient seven-branched candelabra of gold was called the Menorah, it was 6 ft. high. Josephus said it was 100 pounds of gold with hollow shafts and 70 ornaments. Josephus believed the 7 branches represented the 7 planets (including the sun/moon. Each bowl held one days worth of oil (it was shaped like an egg and it held three eggs).
The message of the seven lamps: The Menorah brought light to the inner court or holy place. The seven branches represented the 7 churches in Revelation. Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12) and we are to shine as lights (Phil 2:12-16). The light was to burn continually; fresh oil was added daily (Lev. 24:12). Rabbis believe the Menorah is a symbol of the Torah and the Tree of Life. The seven pipes (lamps) can represent the seven eyes of God over the earth. There were seven known planets then: the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn.
The Messiah and the seven lamps: The Menorah was to be cleaned, replenished with oil, and relit every day. The western branch was to continually burn; others were lit from this one branch. Jesus is our branch and we KEEP our lamps burning by staying connected to him in prayer/fasting, meditating in his word day and night, doing the word of God, and following in his footsteps on a DAILY basis. JUST DO THE WORD!
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